Two years on since the first council-run workshop the Thames Urban Development Strategy is now starting to bare tangible fruits.

Interior building work on the Civic Centre, including the creation of new office spaces, finished last week ahead of the Thames i-Site's planned relocation to the centre on Saturday, August 1.

The Thames War Memorical Civic Centre. Photo: TCDC

The Thames Urban Development Strategy is intended to ensure that Thames remains among the best places in New Zealand to live, work and visit.

Along with the Thames i-SITE, Destination Coromandel will also move into the Thames Civic Centre, with both organisations starting to furnish their new office spaces.

AA vehicle and driver testing has already moved and is now at the Thames-Coromandel District Council's office on Mackay Street.

As part of the strategy, council says the new Porritt Park toilet block will be arriving on site in the next couple of weeks and the some of the playground will be fenced for safety.

'We'll also be temporarily removing some of the play equipment while we do the work,” says council. 'Until the new toilet block is fully installed and working, the current old toilets will remain in use.

'While all this is going on, we're also looking at ways to decorate one of the toilet walls – the side that faces into the park – with art from a competition to be run with local school students.”

Council adds: 'This new toilet block was already on the priority list for this financial year, but has been developed with the Thames Urban Development Strategy principles squarely in focus.”

Locals are also being reminded that buses will also be picking up and dropping off from the new kerb area in front of the Civic Centre on Mary St, from August 1.

Concept plan for Porritt Park. Image: TCDC

The council is also reminding locals to keep an eye-out for the following changes:

• The service lane behind the Civic Centre will become one-way
• The service lane exit onto Mary St toward the roundabout will be left-turn only
• Street light poles will be changed at A&G Price, plus fitting of new flags while poles removed
• Parking allocation and time changes.
• A new, more accessible and safer pedestrian crossing a little further south.

For more information about the Thames Urban Development Strategy click here.

Road works around the Thames Civic Centre. Image: TCDC